Collected Christmas: Horror Shorts — the new anthology from Kevin Kennedy and Brandy Yassa — has just been released, just in time to raise your holiday spirit (literally). Includes a new story I’m really proud of, “All Naughty, No Nice,” which takes a post-apocalyptic approach to the legend of Old Saint Nick. But that’s just one many great tales by a number or new writers and authors any genre fan might recognize. Get this collection of great yuletide terror from the UK cheap on amazon.com today!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Publisher’s Description
Christmas is often thought of as a time of joy and cheer, a time for giving to others, a time of celebration and love…. Well, this year some of the best voices in horror fiction decided to band together and tell you some tales about a different kind of Christmas, so grab yourself a mug of hot chocolate, close the curtains, lock the door and get comfy. This will be a Christmas like never before!

Contents:
12 Days (Psychopath Remix) by J.C. Michael (poem)
Thy Will be Done by J.C. Michael
Tommy’s Christmas by John R. Little
Naughty or Nice by Veronica Smith
Santa’s Midnight Feast by J.L. Lane
Hung With Care by Ty Schwamberger
Santa Came by Peter Oliver Wonder
In the Bag by Tim Curran
The Christmas Spirit by Lisa Morton
The Tome of Bill Cristmas Carol by Rick Gualtieri
Killing Christmas by Andrew Lennon
All Naughty, No Nice by Michael A. Arnzen
A Disappointed Shade of Blue by C.S. Andserson (poem)
Stuffed Pig by Steven Murray
The Night Before Christmas by Suzanne Fox
Better Watch Out by Willow Rose
Deck The Halls by Xtina Marie (poem)
Christmas Market by Amy Cross
Merry Fuckin’ Christmas by Kevin J. Kennedy
The Veil by Rose Garnett
The Last Christmas Dinner by Christina Bergling
The Present by Israel Finn
Christmas Carole by Lisa Vasquez
Slay Bells by Weston Kincade

It was a normal Thanksgiving meal like any other, until I heard the gobbling from the kitchen, where my mother was checking on a pie. The sound refused to cease. One by one my family members stood up from the table and went to investigate while the rest of us ate with bemused expressions on our faces and gravy on a few of our chins.

I presumed that high pitched chortling was just some goofy turkey day sound effect, like the phony screams that plastic door knockers make on Halloween. But when only my brother and I remained, alone at the table, we decided something was awry.

Together, we shrugged and decided to go to the kitchen as a pair — since the gobbling noises had continued unabated and we were now as curious about dessert as we were the source of the sound and the strange absence of our family. But when when my brother pushed open the door and was pulled in by a human arm, mud gray and riddled with worms, I fled and raced up the stairs, toward my parent’s bedroom, where my dad kept his shotgun.

I had seen plenty of horror movies in my day, but nothing could have prepared me for that horrible sound that zombies make when their dead throats cry out for seconds.

The presidential campaigns this year have been something of a freaking circus and a nutty free-for-all.

So I’ve decided to make my book, Freakcidents, free on Election Day to all you nutty Americans. Just head on over to amazon.com to download the kindle version of this Bram Stoker Award-winning horror poetry collection anytime on November 8th, 2016. Aside from a new president, you’ll get thirty disturbing mutants for the price of air.

But promise you’ll do me just one favor in return: VOTE!

Offer is for one day only and ends at midnight (PST), when the price goes back up to $3.99. But don’t worry if you don’t make it in time. It’s not the end of the world.

“Welcome to the barbed brain of Michael Arnzen, where every axon is a steel trap, every dendrite a hid-den snare, every synapse a cul de sac, and every myelin sheath an elixir enabling us to find affirmation in ugliness and to smile whenever the dog eats God’s homework.” – James Morrow, author of The Last Witchfinder

“An intensely gripping sideshow… Arnzen chooses his words carefully to illuminate the horror of mutation. At the same time, he illustrates the nearly unbearable pain of human existence.” – Janie C., on goodreads

“Arnzen’s Freakcidents is a wickedly gleeful kaleidoscope of hideous horrors. And yet amidst all this colorful carnage, one will find a heart — beating with sympathy, even affection, for the bizarre characters that make up this amazing poetry collection.” – Mark McLaughlin, author of Once Upon a Slime

]]>http://gorelets.com/blog/arnzen-news/proverbs-for-monsters-a-halloween-special-from-dark-regions-press/feed/0Snapshots from DogCon 5 at the Broadkill Writer’s Resorthttp://gorelets.com/blog/ambulations/snapshots-from-dogcon-5-at-the-broadkill-writers-resort/
http://gorelets.com/blog/ambulations/snapshots-from-dogcon-5-at-the-broadkill-writers-resort/#respondThu, 06 Oct 2016 01:58:47 +0000http://gorelets.com/?p=8590DogCon is the annual gathering of writers, readers and fans of Raw Dog Screaming Press. This year’s DogCon5, held in the new RDSP-owned beach house — the Broadkill Writer’s Resort — focused on writers who wanted to relax, learn, practice, and mingle together in a kind of bizarro sci-fi literary retreat. While the programming was professional, it was relaxed, and the whole experience had the vibe of a 48-hour con suite at a genre convention, with occasional excursions to the beach and many spontaneous acts of chatting, gaming and writing.

The headline act was Beverly Bambury, who ran two rock solid publicity-oriented workshops, and other events included a “story swap” reading of a partner’s fiction, the RDSP Reader’s Award (winner: Matt Betts, for Indelible Ink), online interviews with some of the writers who couldn’t attend, new book releases from Cina Pelayo and Laurel Myler, and the always-intriguing “State of the Dog” speech. Joseph Bouthiette Jr., the publisher of Carrion Blue 555, also was in attendance, sharing an early release of the exciting new 555 flash fiction anthology, along with other titles. All the writers had new work to share and talk about, but the focus was really on hanging out, thinking about the “next step” in our careers, and conjuring good spirits between us. Raw Doggers are genuinely good people.

The beach house, Broadkill Writer’s Resort, is a pretty amazing place, and certainly worth looking into if you’re ever seeking a place on the eastern seaboard to get away from it all and write. The publishers, John Edward Lawson and Jennifer Barnes, did an outstanding job organizing and hosting the entire weekend, and everyone departed with smiles, renewed by the experience, and eager to continue following this unique publisher as they pursue some exciting plans for the future. In a nutshell: RDSP plans to increase its investment in the community it has built, and DogCon is but one of many such communal gatherings to come! Keep your eyes on their events page to see if any of their authors are reading in your neck of the proverbial woods.

It contains extra material not available here on the weblog, including a funny “Craft Brew Calendar,” a new gorelets poem, information about my latest books — Murrmann: A Tale of Van Helsing and Proverbs for Monsters re-release — news about upcoming appearances (Transylvania next year!) and a discount code for subscribers only on any of my new audio albums now streaming at Bandcamp!

The book is a trove of the weird and thrilling, written exclusively by authors well-versed on the dark side. All the contributors are HWA members, including myself, Lucy A. Snyder, Rose Blackthorn, Peter Adam Salomon, G.O. Clark, Chad Hensley, E.F. Schrader, Denise Dumars, Alessandro Manzetti, Kathryn Ptacek, Corrine De Winter, Bruce Boston… about 50 all totalled…just too many more to list! See for yourself. It is available in ebook and paperback editions from amazon.com.

These are good books. I’m proud to belong to a genre writer’s organization that supports poetry as much as it does fiction, screenwriting and all the many forms that give shape to the darkness. These are the guys who give the Stoker Award each year and host the new StokerCon conventions. If you’re a scary writer of any kind, consider joining the Horror Writers Association. They’re currently running a membership drive at a discount.

]]>http://gorelets.com/blog/arnzen-news/hwa-presents-horror-poetry-showcase-iii/feed/0Freakcidents Returns!http://gorelets.com/blog/arnzen-news/freakcidents-returns/
http://gorelets.com/blog/arnzen-news/freakcidents-returns/#respondFri, 05 Aug 2016 05:01:29 +0000http://gorelets.com/?p=8467Here’s the new book trailer for Freakcidents — now available in ebook and audiobook for the first time…

ALERT: an Amazon Giveaway for a random chance to win a free copy of the ebook edition of Freakcidents was posted on 8/6/2016. These prizes usually go quick… ACT FAST for your chance to win! https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/003644a17065a0f0

Longtime readers probably have heard of Freakcidents — my collection of impossible mutants and truly freaky freaks. It’s like American Horror Story, only weirder, and in poetic form. Originally published in a very limited run of hardcovers and chapbooks by the now-defunct but still-awesome Shocklines Press, the book won a Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection before it went out of print and disappeared into the velvet-lined coffins of collectors. Well, now it’s available for everyone in two new formats: an ebook exclusively on amazon kindle, and a brand new audiobook version, where you can hear me recite the poems as you read along.

“Freakcidents is fun, tight, thought-provoking and challenging with each ooze and scream. This volume should very much be looked upon as the watershed moment for modern horror poetry. Buy it.” — Lurid Lit

“Michael A. Arnzen, award winning poet and fiction writer, can always be counted on to approach the grotesque and the visceral with wit and, often, compassion….but be prepared: Arnzen doesn’t hold back, and his imagery is both visceral and explicit. Freakcidents is smart, nasty, and very well-written – horror poetry doesn’t get much better than this.” — Tim Pratt, Star*line

[Freakcidents is the first professional audiobook from Mastication Publications. I’m pleased to also report that Audiovile is also available for listening on Audible. And if audiobooks are your bag, be sure to visit my new bandcamp page for others, along with “merch” for diehard collectors! More soon!]